The Moving Finger, Agatha Christie

The Book

When Jerry Burton is ordered by his doctor to take a rest after a surviving a plane crash, his sister Joanna rents them a little place in Lymstock. The seemingly tranquil bucolic place is turned on his head when a rash of anonymous letters, all saying slanderous things, are delivered to unsuspecting people. Jerry and Joanna soon receive one alleging they are not siblings, but rather lovers. Despite this, Joanna starts flirting with the local doctor, Griffiths. His gossipy and bossy sister Aimee is unmarried and out to meddle in everyone's lives. The local solicitor Mr. Symimngton has a temperamental wife, two young kids and a 20 year old step-daughter, Megan, nobody notices. The lady they rented the house from had taken care of her mother and her sisters, and now, firmly middle aged, is stuck in the Victorian era that ended some 40 years prior. And the loads of maid, drivers, and gardeners around the place fill up the tiny village with all the gossip the need. Which they all take to the vicar, Rev. Caleb Dane Calthrop and his wife, who is friends with Miss Marple. 

In this town, where everyone knows everyone, of course everyone is suspected of sending the letters. But the game, nasty as it was, turns deadly when Mrs. Symmington ends up dead--poisoned by cyanide. And a week later, while everyone is mourning the apparent suicide of Mrs. Symmington,  a young maid in their house, Agnes is brutally murdered. Now everyone is on edge and the police are clueless. So Mrs. Rev. Dane Calthrop calls in her good friend Miss Marple, who does get to the bottom of it. But will her meddling mess up things for Joanna, or, as Jerry realizes almost too late, his love for Megan? Miss Marple, the cynic, only wants justice, and she will do what it takes to solve the case, once and for all. 

My Thoughts

This book is a breezy read. Jerry is compelling, if a little impulsive of a character. I really liked him. He reminded me of someone I remember fondly from when I was a little girl. But then, those dashing young men, full of verve, daring and charisma should not be a surprise in an Agatha Christie novel, given that her first husband had been a bomber pilot in World War I. 

Joanna I am less sure about. I profoundly disagree with many of her choices, and she is memorable in certain ways. She's well drawn, but...I just think she would have been so much better off pursuing a career rather than pursuing a man. Oh well, how the times have changed in the last 80 whatever years. 

The suspects are legion, and although I am pretty sure I saw an adaptation of this book, I didn't remember the ending. I did figure it out, but not before a couple of wrong guesses. And here, Christie weaves her puzzle together so well that I am indeed taken in by her shenanigans. It's fun. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

Ok, you know by now how much fondness I have for these leatherette The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection books. We haven't had one is quite a while. We're halfway through Christie's novels, but I don't honestly know how many more of them there are. This particular book was pristine when I checked it out, complete with new book crack open sound. I'm pretty sure it's a 1987 version, so at the tale end of the run. I picked it up late last week, and the receipt says I save $25.01. I often wonder where that last penny comes from. If you have any ideas, leave a comment below. 

This Book                                                     $25.01

Items Reviewed This Year                          $520.90

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